


Love Potion

by amyponders



Series: Hvitserk one-shots [3]
Category: Vikings (TV)
Genre: Alternate Canon, Attempt at Humor, Best Friends, Canon Era, Canon Related, Crushes, Domestic Fluff, During Canon, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, Friendship/Love, I'm Bad At Summaries, Jealousy, Light Angst, Love, Love Confessions, Love Potion/Spell, Not Actually Unrequited Love, Possessive Behavior, Reader-Insert, Requited Unrequited Love, Romance, Romantic Fluff, Sensuality, Shyness, Some Humor, Temporarily Unrequited Love, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, Unrequited, Unrequited Crush, Unrequited Love, hvitserk x plus size reader, plus size reader, soft!hvitserk
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-02
Updated: 2021-02-02
Packaged: 2021-03-14 00:33:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,834
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29162709
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/amyponders/pseuds/amyponders
Summary: Hvitserk volunteers to help you try a love potion on him and he finally works up the courage to confess his feelings for you.
Relationships: Hvitserk (Vikings)/Original Female Character(s), Hvitserk (Vikings)/Reader, Hvitserk (Vikings)/You, Hvitserk/Thora (Vikings), guthrum/reader, guthrum/you
Series: Hvitserk one-shots [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2127210
Comments: 10
Kudos: 15





	Love Potion

**Author's Note:**

> I ripped this out of my heart and it hurt so good

[Spotify Playlist](https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2PKmNvHEIgSw4hM63jVrtv?si=yUIN9b1DSyCRDLgC-WN41w)

“So I simply uncork this tiny bottle and drink it?” Hvitserk wondered.

“Yes.”

“And just like that, I’ll fall in love with you?”

“Y-yes. Well, no. Not exactly. This is my first time making a love potion.”

“Ah, you didn’t mention that.”

“I did.”

“Did not.”

“I did! Remember when you walked in through that door earlier? You kissed my cheek, and I said: ‘Hey, Hvits, do you want to help me try out a new love elixir? I need to see if I got the measurements right because I’ve never made one before’ and  _ you _ said: ‘Sure, why not?’ while munching on an apple.”

“You should know by now that half of the time I only pretend I’m listening. Especially if I’m eating.”

You smacked your best friend over the head lightly before returning to your table and leaving him sitting at the foot of your bed while he reclined forward with the palm of his hand against his thigh. 

“What are the side effects of this brew, exactly?” He eyed the glass vial curiously.

“Well, they merely amplify whatever feelings the person has. So if lust is the only thing you feel, you’ll be…  _ overcome _ by desire.” Your cheeks turned bright pink; your inexperience mixed with your crush on him made for a perilous cocktail when you had to try and keep your composure.

“Hmph. Now let’s say... I’m secretly crushing on you already. What would happen then? I just, uh, I just want to know what I’m getting into.” He chuckled lightly after his explanation.

“Then you’ll vocalize it. It won’t be a secret anymore. And likewise, if you have deep affection - the friendship kind - which is where you stand, probably…” You took your eyes off the bowl in front of you where the remainder of the liquid rested to glance at him passingly. “...then it will come across as romantic love. That’s why I chose you to try this. Well, that and you’re always worryingly eager to be my guinea pig.”

“So you’re saying that friendship turns to love?”

“Yes.”

“Well, fuck me.” He shrugged. 

You shook your head laughing and asked: “Why is that surprising? It seems to me like that should be the basis of all great relationships. Wouldn’t you agree?”

“Now, how the fuck would  _ I _ know? The only steady girlfriend I ever had is dead. And we didn’t exactly sit around… talking… as you and I do.”

You exhaled loudly, bothered by his strange sense of humor.

“In any case, how long will this take to wear off?” He shook the vial of clear liquid around. 

“That depends on the, uh, severity, of the case. The stronger the feelings...”

“...the longer it takes hold.” Hvitserk completed your sentence.

“Exactly.”

“I have one last question though.”

“Yes?”

“Shouldn’t there be someone else around? You know, in case I get a little too intense?”

You swallowed hard and studied his face. 

“I mean, not that I’m planning on doing that, of course.”

“If I got it right, it should feel as if you’re drunk and excitable. I’ve seen you drunk. And I think I can handle it.”

“But what if I... Surely you remember that time I drank too much mead and tried to kiss you?”

“You didn’t try. You succeeded.” You pointed out, avoiding his piercing green eyes.

“Right. Not my, uh, proudest moment.” Hvitserk looked down at his boots. 

Your mind flew back to that late night after a feast in his house where you’d tried to walk him to his bed, arms around his shoulder, and he used the opportunity and his towering height over you to steal a kiss from you. In all your years of friendship, that had been the only strange move he’d ever done, if you weren’t counting the looks he gave you sometimes. 

The next day he apologized profusely and he’d never tried anything like that again, but you still felt apprehensive whenever you remembered it. In a way, you wanted to see if he would try something similar now, but you were also scared out of your mind to think he actually would. You wouldn’t know what to do or how to react; it’s strange how attraction works...

“I trust you, okay? And if you try something, I’ll smack you over the head with my mortar.” 

You didn’t think he’d dare, yet it was still a risk you were taking. But you needed to perfect this philter. It was one of the few things of your training as a witch that you hadn’t mastered yet. And if you were completely honest, the idea of Hvitserk flirting with you and you having all of his romantic attention - even if for a brief staged moment - made your heart leap and your stomach churn.

“Okay, I’m ready, then.” He downed the liquid in one gulp. “Doesn’t taste like anything.” He observed.

“It isn’t supposed to. You know… in case you want to slip it into someone’s drink.” You cleared your throat.

“I don’t feel any different. Shouldn’t you… I don’t know, be chanting a prayer or something?

You laughed and shook your head. “Doesn’t work like that.”

“Okay… Well, what should we do while it… works its magic?”

“I don’t know.”

“And what are you expecting exactly?”

“Just… I don’t know.” You sighed. “I’d like to see how effective it is. Take notes of whatever you say or do and adjust the ingredients accordingly.”

“So, I suppose that means no second kiss for me?” He winked at you with dreamy eyes and a cheeky expression.

“No, no kiss for you.” You fiddled with some bottles moving them around and smiled curtly trying to hide your unease.

“Where did that come from?” He laughed. “I think it’s already starting to work…”

The room fell suddenly quiet which only increased the pace of your heart. You couldn’t stand the stillness.

“So, how’s your love life, Y/N?” Hvitserk laid back on your bed, he grabbed a pillow and rested his head on it, looking to the ceiling as his boots dangled from the bed.

“My love life?” You repeated incredulously. “It’s- complicated.” You muttered to yourself under your breath.

“Yes, your love life. Whatever has happened in it, it can’t be worse than mine. My girlfriend is dead. Killed by my own brother. And here I am, still in-”

“Still what?”

“Nothing, nevermind. So much for liquid confidence.” You saw his chest vibrating as he chuckled.

“Anyway, is there anyone you like perhaps? Is that why you want to try this concoction on me? So that you can see if it works and then try it on him?” His voice was halfway between annoyed and curious.

You took a bottle of herbs and looked at the rune on top, making sure you got the right one. You set it aside in case you needed to use it on Hvitserk later. If the brew took longer than expected to wear off, it might come in handy.

“No…”

“Then tell me, do you desire someone?” More than curious, right now, he sounded invested. 

You always avoided this topic with him because for one, you didn’t enjoy hearing about his various conquests, and somehow, after he fell in love with Thora, it was even harder to listen to him talk about his steady relationship. Thora this. Thora that. Thora, Thora. Oh, what a great match the gods destined for him! 

And after she died tragically by Ivar’s hand - something you hadn’t celebrated of course, no matter how much you disliked and envied her - it was unbearable to try and console him. Seeing your best friend in so much pain had shattered your heart to pieces. 

One of the reasons why you’d retaken your long-abandoned purpose of becoming a witch had been to help Hvitserk through his addiction. After straining months of giving him all the help he needed, he was finally clean and thriving once more. 

But of course, that meant he’d been leaping from bed to bed ever since he got sober. There was probably not a single maiden left in Kattegat that he hadn’t deflowered already. Well, none but you, anyway. 

Besides, you never had anything interesting to tell him, and it felt wrong to make up stories just to quench his curiosity, so after a while, you stopped and just avoided the subject altogether. Hvitserk said you’d become distant and didn’t trust him with the details anymore and he was suspicious and hostile towards any man that came within a 10 feet radius, thinking that any of them might be your supposed secret boyfriend, but he didn’t ask about your love life as often as he did before.

“I told you already. There’s no one, darling.”

“So you say, but I’ve seen you sighing on corners or smiling to yourself when you don’t think I’m looking.”

You gulped, internally agitated. How the hell had he caught you at that? 

“Well, it’s the truth. There hasn’t been anyone for some time now. Not since Guthrum anyway.” 

You didn’t like to mention his name anymore because your own best friend had been the one to kill him. You and Guthrum had barely dated for a few weeks one spring. He was a sweet boy but it just wasn’t working out. Mainly because, well, he wasn’t Hvitserk. 

You’d tried to seal shut the void that Hvitserk could never fill with someone else’s presence but you realized it wasn’t fair to Guthrum so you put an end to it. You remained friends and he visited you sometimes to check up on you; that is until Ivar and Hvitserk declared civil war on Kattegat, and Hvitserk killed him in battle.

“May he rot in Hel…”

“Hvitserk…” You reproached him unhappily.

“I’d apologize but you know me too well for that. And you know I’d do it again too... If I could.”

“I never understood your hatred of him.” Your heart was filled with sorrow at that instant.

“And I never understood your fascination with him either, so I guess that makes us even.”

“He was a good man...”

“He wasn’t worthy of kissing the ground you stood on, Y/N, least of all of being called your lover.” Hvitserk countered in a matter-of-fact tone. 

You wondered if this perhaps might be the potion talking, but you still couldn’t help the way your heart jumped at the sound of so much devotion pouring from his lips.

“In any case… He’s dead now. So, why don’t you tell me about his replacement? Or are you afraid I’ll kill him next?”

You whined: “But there’s no one...”

Hvitserk chuckled and beckoned you. “Come here.”

“What?”

“I said come here. Sit next to me, let’s talk. My head’s clear; there’s no need to be wary.”

You cleaned your hands with a cloth and took off your apron before walking slowly to the bed and sitting beside him.

“That’s it. Now, tell me: do you seriously think I believe you?”

“W-what do you mean?”

“There must be  _ someone _ .”

_ Shit. _ Had he noticed? Was he trying to force a confession out of you? This is not how this was supposed to go. He was supposed to be the one opening up to you. 

You blinked a few times in a row. “I am not lying. There’s no one in my life.”

“Then why did you say earlier that it was complicated, huh?”

“I thought you said you never listened.”

“I do, sometimes.” Hvitserk’s lips curled into a smile.

“And besides, you’re stunning, Y/N. Who are you trying to fool with this ‘no one wants me’ act?”

“I-I’m stunning?”

“Yes, I’m talking to you. Do you see anyone else here?” He retorted with a voice full of irony but he was still looking up at the ceiling which was fine by you. You wouldn’t be able to hold his gaze at a moment like this anyway.

“I think this is just the elixir talking.” 

You took off your slippers with your feet and pulled your knees up to your chest. You’d been in the same bed with him many times, sitting or lying next to each other and sometimes even cuddling on harsh stormy nights when you couldn’t sleep and he’d sneak out of the Great Hall to have you rest in his arms. 

“Doesn’t make it less true.”

“Let’s talk again when you’re sober. See if you still feel the same way.” 

You’d been struggling for years to accept your fuller figure and how different your body was from that of most girls at Kattegat. Hvitserk didn’t seem to mind your appearance and he often helped deflect hurtful comments from whoever was stupid enough to dare and say something in his presence. 

In fact, that’s how you two had befriended each other, when one morning, two or three years ago, he’d defended you against a pack of nasty immature boys that were picking on you. The look on their faces as they saw a prince of Kattegat and son of Ragnar come to your rescue had been worth the long list of insults they’d hurled at you for weeks.

“If even that half-wit of Guthrum could see how beautiful you are, then so can I.”

“Well, do you know of someone else that’s in this supposed line of suitors?”

“I know of one for sure.” Hvitserk rolled over to lay sideways in bed and he looked at you as he rested his head on his hand.

“Yeah, well, send him my way then so I can finally meet him.” You raised an eyebrow.

“My name’s Hvitserk, son of Ragnar, nice to meet you.” He extended his hand to you and you giggled.

“Oh, please, Hvits, don’t make me laugh.”

“Why won’t you shake my hand?” He was grinning and biting his lip at the same time. “Go ahead.”

You shook his hand so he’d quit it and he beamed more intensely. “There we go.” He threw himself back in the bed.

“I can see you’re under the potion’s spell already.”

“Don’t be so sure about that.”

“What do you mean?” 

“Oh, I’m definitely under a spell. I just wouldn’t say it’s because of whatever you made me drink.”

Obviously, he was intoxicated, even if he wasn’t aware of it. Gods, it felt good to hear him say things like that. You wanted nothing more than to make this conversation with him last.

“Maybe it made away with my inhibitions, as you said it would happen… But just to be clear, I’ve always considered you beautiful. I thought you knew that.”

“Sure thing, Hvits.”

“Why won’t you believe me?” Hvitserk frowned.

“You’re amusing me with your silly talk. Keep going.” You tried to dismiss his advances.

“What would you say if I told you that... I didn’t drink your potion?”

You tilted your head to one extreme to examine his expression with care. “W-what?” Your tone made evident your nervousness. “B-but I saw you down the bottle.”

“That I did. But which one was it? Perhaps I grabbed another flask from your pantry while you weren't looking. Perhaps I still have the one you gave me in my pocket.”

“You… you wouldn’t.” You giggled in disbelief. “Come on, Hvits, don’t mess around with me.”

“I don’t need an elixir to reveal to me how I feel about you.”

He stuck his hand inside his pants and produced two flasks, identical to one another, and put them on the bed. There was only one way to know what he’d drank so you opened the full vial first. 

Your heart sank to your stomach when you identified the faint smell; it was indeed your newest concoction. With trembling fingers, you grabbed the other vial and sniffed it. 

“But this is… an aphrodisiac.”

Hvitserk laughed out loud.

“How did you know which one to pick? Any other bottle in my pantry right now would’ve killed you!”

He shrugged with a smile. “I’ve been around you for long enough to know a thing or two about your elixirs.”

“I-I don’t get it. Why would you want to drink an aphrodisiac around me?” 

“You’re still as clueless as ever, aren’t you? Well… Because I needed a little push. Some confidence. I intended to seduce you today but I still don’t feel any braver.”

“The aphrodisiac takes the longest to kick in…” You informed him while making an effort to process what was happening. “So everything you just said is-”

“True. All of it. Yeah.” Hvitserk licked his bottom lip and reclined against his elbows in bed.

“You’re crazy.” You said trying to keep the awkward silence at bay.

“That I am. No one can deny that.” His laugh was the definition of unbothered. “I don’t know what it is about you, Y/N...” He looked ahead at the wooden table where your potions and herbs rested. 

“...I get so scared around you. Ever since I saw you that day at the market looking so innocent and frail I’ve wanted nothing more than to kiss you hard and take you to my bed. But you never showed the slightest interest in me, so I guess I gave up the fight long before it started… And then I met Thora and I figured it was best to leave you alone.” 

Hvitserk turned his head sideways but he posed his eyes on your lap as if he were scared stiff to look you in the eye.

“Why are you saying this to me?”

“Because you need to hear it. Perhaps you will think me a fool. And there’s a chance I might lose your friendship after I say this to you, but you need to know.”

You were debating whether to confess your feelings for him too but you felt unable to vocalize anything. Fear froze every muscle in your body.

“You know… I used to daydream about you all the time... Of the way the sun hit your eyes and the wind caressed your hair... My brothers would tease the hell out of me whenever I mentioned you because I just couldn’t stop talking about you. I think they realized I was in love way before I did.” 

Hvitserk shook his head and made a noise partway between a scoff and a chuckle while lost in his thoughts. 

“I’d count the hours before I could come to visit you religiously each morning, and you would open the door for me with a shy smile and let me annoy you as you worked around the house.” He paused for a long while.

“I’ve never been much for praying, Y/N, you know that... but I lost track of the times I asked the Allfather to make you love me back.” His voice was sorrowful and he smiled at no one in particular with a candidness you’d never seen in him before. 

“And I’d fall asleep every night imagining the thousands of places where I could rip open your pretty dresses - in my room, in the woods, by the lake, here in your bed - and spread kisses all over your soft belly and your round hips. Thinking of your full thighs on top of mine and my hand slipping between your legs to make you moan my name. I try not to anymore because it just hurts me. But I still do sometimes. And by all the gods, nothing makes me hungrier… greedier... than the thought of loving all of you.”

You decided to go with your instincts for once and you crawled forward in bed until you were in front of him. You spread open your legs to straddle him and shoved him back in bed. Hvitserk looked up at you with stars in his eyes, his adoration dilating his pupils and making his mouth slightly agape. You grabbed one of his hands and guided it along your thigh under your skirt to show him the path where you wanted to feel his fingers.

“Am I dreaming?”

You shook your head. “I’m right here, Hvitserk. I’m real.”

“Is this what you want?”

“With all my heart.”

“Say that again, please.”

“I want you with all my heart.” 

He grabbed your hips to grind them against his, ridding you both of the small space between your bodies and you threw your head back, enjoying his nearness. You too had fantasized about this more times than you could count. 

Hvitserk sat up quick as lightning and pounced on your exposed neck, his teeth scraping your skin while his tongue soothed the scratches afterward, his exquisite mouth both the medicine and the pain.

You slid your hands along Hvitserk’s chest, feeling the hard steel of his taut muscles as they clenched with every movement. You found the hem of his shirt and you pulled away from his mouth begrudgingly to remove his top, then you tried touching him again. 

The ink that branded his chest and arm seemed like a good place to start your exploration so your fingertips spiraled along their length. His skin was soft where the scars he’d won in battle hadn’t marked him. 

Hvitserk observed you fascinated as you touched him but you could sense he wanted to kiss you because of the way he inched closer to your face so you lowered your head to help him reach your mouth faster. Hvitserk’s breath warmed your cheeks as he rested his nose against them. 

He inhaled harshly then exhaled quickly for countless seconds. To anyone else watching it might be hard to tell if he was savoring the moment, or building up his courage but after years of knowing him and studying his features closely for almost every day, you knew without a doubt that he was just paralyzed.

“You’re overthinking this.” You closed your eyes and said in the smallest voice you’d ever used around him.

“I am. I don’t know how to do this.” He laughed incredulously. “Whenever you’re near me, I just turn into a little kid, Y/N.”

“Just go slow. There’s no rush.” 

You used his proximity to kiss your way from his jawline to his chin then up to his mouth to lay a butterfly kiss in it. You counted to three and laid another chaste kiss on his lips. Perhaps feeling your efforts was the push he needed because you heard him inhale loud and suddenly, then he took hold of your waist and made you turn around to lie on top of you. 

He propped the pillow he’d used earlier behind your head and finally clashed his mouth against yours in a feverish kiss. His resolve was strengthening, and so was his grip on your body. Hvitserk’s hands felt more alive, more secure as they searched for a foothold to ground them that they finally found in that space between your hips and your thighs. His fingers slipped underneath your underwear teasingly. He kneaded you with firm lithe fingers and you trembled all over. 

“I think your potion is starting to work.”

**Author's Note:**

> I literally realized now that if something doesn’t taste then it can’t smell either lmao forgive any inconsistencies I don’t know how to human
> 
> Look me up on Tumblr! deans-ch-ch-cherrypie.tumblr.com
> 
> In case you want to support me: https://ko-fi.com/amyponders


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